Dances With Films 2018 - NOPD: COVEN “Getting In"
Two naive but well-meaning do-gooders respond to the recruiting call of the dysfunctional police department in their city. The screening process does not go well.
Interview with Writer/Director Rachel Grissom
Congratulations! Why did you make your film?
While I had the idea of making this female-centric police comedy for years, I was propelled to produce this first short after seeing the arc of change that the New Orleans Police Department has been through in the past ten years or so – the dark chapter during and after Katrina, the attempts at reform, the Consent Decree under the Justice Department, the experimental programs they’ve instituted to try to tackle problems like police brutality and mental health crises, all in the context of a city that is cynical and has little faith in the NOPD as an institution. I felt these naive but ambitious characters, who were also outsiders, would be an interesting way to see a police department struggling to improve, even while caught in a deeply entrenched culture with a history of abuse and corruption.
Imagine I’m a member of the audience. Why should I watch this film?
This short film is definitely a light-hearted introduction to my main characters, their flaws and ambitions, and the clunky mechanisms of a bureaucracy under pressure to change. The cast is excellent, and each deliver hilarious performances.
How do personal and universal themes work in your film?
At the center of the story is the life-long friendship of my main characters, April and Marvin: an alliance seen with suspicion, especially with its lack of romantic interest. On their own, April and Marvin would experience unique pressures when joining any police department - April as a woman, and Marvin as a black man. But they are devoted friends, to the point that April would not be applying for the job if Marvin didn’t want to be part of the department so badly. From the beginning, though, they begin to see that their expectations of what it means to be part of the department may be naive.
How have the script and film evolved over the course of their development?
Originally, the story was more of a slapstick comedy, but as I did more research on the direction I want to take the larger project, the more I realized it needed to be more grounded.
What type of feedback have you received so far?
The feedback has been far more positive than I expected, but I am very hard on my own work. People are very interested in where I want to take these characters, the supporting as well as the main, and what kind of stories come next.
Has the feedback surprised or challenged your point of view?
I definitely know now I played it too safe with this first short. I should have gone further, and gotten deeper into the more complicated and darker material instead of saving it all for later.
What are you looking to achieve by having your film more visible on www.wearemovingstories.com?
Since I want this to be the first in a series, I’m looking for more collaborators, especially those with more knowledge than my own on the financial and business side of self-producing.
Who do you need to come on board (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists) to amplify this film’s message?
At this stage, probably producers and sales agents. Again, I want to make more shorts with these characters, so I need help making those productions get moving.
What type of impact and/or reception would you like this film to have?
Well, I hope people will laugh, but also be curious about how these characters will fit into a clearly dysfunctional department.
What’s a key question that will help spark a debate or begin a conversation about this film?
Can these characters give us insight into the complicated and highly charged conversation around what the role of police departments should be in our communities? Is comedy the best way to tackle these issues?
Would you like to add anything else?
I had a great deal of fun working with my cast and crew, and that shows. I’m very proud of my actors’ performances, and can’t wait to collaborate with them again.
What other projects are the key creatives developing or working on now?
I have a lot of projects going: obviously I have further chapters for this short planned; I have a pilot and series bible written for a drama about the life/work balance (or lack thereof) of a dominatrix; I’m rewriting a religious supernatural thriller I wrote some time ago, updating it for the Age of Trump; and I work with two other women in a production company called Ripe Figs, LLC, which adapts the work of Kate Chopin, the Louisiana writer from the 1890’s who wrote the banned book The Awakening - we haven’t adapted that novel, but we have focused on her short stories, and their themes on race, gender, class, and sexuality. We’ve finished three short film adaptations, and we have a feature and a short planned next.
Our director of photography, Patrick McGinley, is currently working on a photography book about The River Road of Louisiana.
Interview: June 2018
We Are Moving Stories embraces new voices in drama, documentary, animation, TV, web series, music video, women's films, LGBTQIA+, POC, First Nations, scifi, supernatural, horror, world cinema. If you have just made a film - we'd love to hear from you. Or if you know a filmmaker - can you recommend us? More info: Carmela
NOPD: COVEN “Getting In"
Two naive but well-meaning do-gooders respond to the recruiting call of the dysfunctional police department in their city. The screening process does not go well.
Length: 00:06:11
Director: Rachel Grissom
Writer: Rachel Grissom
About the writer, director and producer: Rachel is a resident of the ninth ward of New Orleans; she has directed one feature film and 11 short films, and has written several others. She also writes short stories and plays.
Key cast: Audrey LeCrone, Doug Wilcox, Todd Voltz, Casey Haeg
Looking for (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists): producers, sale agents, buyers
Twitter: @GrissomRachel
Instagram: @raecalla
Funders: self-funded
Where can I watch it next and in the coming month?
Having just begun the festival circuit, I don’t have a date/time yet, but updates are made regularly (as well as more info) on www.rachelgrissom.com.